The present invention relates to patient supports, such as hospital beds and stretchers. More particularly, the present invention relates to patient supports configured to position a patient for receipt of a specific procedure, such as an epidural procedure.
Epidural procedures are most often applied to a patient in a hospital or a healthcare facility. The patient, therefore, is often already wearing a gown allowing access to the patient's back, and is lying on a hospital stretcher or a bed awaiting the procedure. An overbed tray or some other makeshift platform is sometimes used to support the patient's upper body and to properly expose the patient's back to apply the epidural procedure. This, however, can be cumbersome to use, and increases the level of discomfort to the patient while the epidural procedure is applied. Moreover, using movable hospital trays or other supports that are not secured during the administration of the procedure is not safe.
Accordingly, the present invention provides a patient support having an upper body support for supporting a patient's upper body during the administration of the epidural procedure. An illustrative patient support includes upper body and foot supports adjacent to one side of the patient support. The upper body support is movable between storage and use positions, and configured to support the upper body of the patient in the use position for an epidural procedure with the patient's back arched forwardly. The foot support is movable between storage and use positions, and configured to support a patient's feet while in the use position.
According to another embodiment, a patient support is provided for placing a patient in a prone position for an epidural procedure with the patient's back arched upwardly. Illustratively, the patient support includes a deck having a contoured portion. The contoured portion is movable between storage and use positions, and configured to raise the patient's back to a desired height in the use position.
Additional features of the present invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon a consideration of the following detailed description of the following embodiments exemplifying the best mode of carrying out the invention as presently perceived.